"Eighty thousand yuan for a chamber pot? Are you kidding!" Li Bing exclaimed.
"Sir, this is no ordinary chamber pot. It's the one used by Master Yang Jiupin himself, a genuine artifact. The person who bought an artifact from my stall last year sold it to Ju Fa Zhai for 500,000 yuan."
"If artifacts are so valuable, why don't you sell it to Ju Fa Zhai yourself?" Mo Yongxing had seen Qin Yu's Dragon-Seeking Disk, and in his eyes, even 500,000 yuan wouldn't be enough to buy it. So he had assumed that artifacts would cost at least several million yuan. He didn't expect the vendor to claim it was worth only 500,000 yuan.
"Well, you see, this artifact doesn't have an aesthetically pleasing appearance, but its effectiveness is not inferior to other artifacts," the vendor explained with a somewhat embarrassed expression.
Mo Yongxing found his explanation reasonable. The chamber pot indeed didn't look good from the outside, but in terms of its function, it should be no different from other artifacts. He said to the vendor, "I'll take it for 80,000 yuan. Do you accept cash or a check?"
"Sir, I don't deal with checks. I only accept cash. There's an ATM not far from here; let me take you there," the vendor replied with a smile, his eyes gleaming with a sense of accomplishment when he saw Mo Yongxing taking out his wallet.
"You're coming with us like this? Aren't you afraid someone will take things from your stall?" Mo Yongxing asked.
"Don't worry, sir. I'll ask the vendor at the neighboring stall to keep an eye on it," the vendor smiled, but in his heart, he thought, "My stall only has ordinary ceramics from the pottery factory. Who would take them? I'm just fooling you outsiders."
In the eyes of the vendor, Mo Yongxing was an easy target, falling for the deception so easily. Ever since the news spread last year about someone finding a genuine artifact at a street stall, business at the stalls had boomed, and the foot traffic had multiplied several times. Some people came to find artifacts for their own use, while others purely wanted to get lucky and resell the artifacts.
But where could so many artifacts come from? These vendors only had fake items to deceive people. Initially, it went well because there were many novices who didn't know any better and often wasted their money on fake goods. However, the prices were only a few thousand yuan. Over time, the number of people being deceived dwindled.
A big fat lamb like Mo Yongxing, who spent 80,000 yuan with just a quick glance, was rare. The vendor had already made up his mind. Once he sold this chamber pot, he would close the stall. With this money, he could rest for a long time.
"Sir, I've packed it for you in this box. Please take it."
Receiving the 80,000 yuan from Mo Yongxing, the vendor's face lit up with joy. He somehow managed to find an exquisite gift box that fit the chamber pot perfectly.
Li Bing naturally held onto the chamber pot, but Mo Yongxing didn't rush to leave. Instead, he chose to continue browsing.
"Sir, this compass is only 300 yuan. You're charging too much," someone complained.
"Miss, this compass is made of ordinary wood and is missing a corner. It has no practical value. If it weren't considered a relic from the Republican era, I wouldn't even sell it for 100 yuan," the vendor replied.
Cold Rou's slender eyebrows furrowed. The appearance of the compass was indeed not impressive. She had just asked a few other shops, and they offered one or two hundred yuan, some not even accepting it at all. The vendor's offer of 300 yuan was considered high.
"Sir, how about adding a bit more? 500 yuan, and I'll take it," Cold Rou suggested after thinking for a moment.
"300 yuan is the highest price," the vendor shook his head, firmly sticking to that price.
"What 300 yuan? What good items did the boss receive again?"
Just as Cold Rou was about to agree, a few more people walked in through the door. However, these people clearly split into two groups—one group consisting of two middle-aged men, and the other group consisting of two young men.
"Oh, Mr. Pang and Mr. Ji, it's been a while since you visited my shop. I've got some good items lately. How about I show them to you?" the vendor warmly welcomed the two middle-aged men, paying no attention to the two young men.
"Mr. Ji and I came here precisely to see if there are any good items. The Southern Colleagues' Exchange Conference is about to start, and we don't want to be at the bottom," the middle-aged man laughed and responded to the vendor.
"The young lady is holding a compass, right? Are you planning to sell it to Mr. Qian? Let me have a look, shall we?" Ji Quan's words drew everyone's attention to Cold Rou.
On the other side, the two young men's eyes sparkled upon seeing Cold Rou. It was rare to come across such a beautiful girl.
These two young men were none other than Mo Yongxing and Li Bing. Li Bing was attracted by Cold Rou's appearance, while Mo Yongxing, though also admiring her beauty, was captivated by the compass in her hand.
"Sure, take a look."
From their conversation, Cold Rou deduced that the two middle-aged men were Feng Shui masters. She generously handed the compass over to them.
"The engraving on this compass is quite good, but it's a pity that it's missing a corner. Otherwise, it would be a rare and valuable compass. Mr. Pang, take a look," Ji Quan took the compass and carefully examined it for a while. He came to a conclusion and passed the compass to the man beside him.
"Not bad. It's indeed a good compass. The craftsmanship appears to be from a skilled craftsman, and the materials are of good quality. If it weren't damaged, it would be worth tens of thousands," the man remarked.
"Two masters, Mr. Qian just said that the material of this compass is ordinary, and I also looked at it—it's just made of regular mountain wood," Cold Rou asked in confusion.
"Old Qian, you're fooling the young lady again," Ji Quan glanced at the vendor before explaining, "A compass is a tool used by Feng Shui masters to determine directions accurately. A good compass emphasizes three aspects: craftsmanship, materials, and magnetic field. Craftsmanship goes without saying since a compass must have precise positioning. The slightest deviation can lead to significant differences. As for materials, many people think that compasses made from precious wood will have better effects. However, this idea is wrong. The more precious the tree, the greater its own magnetic properties, which can affect the stability of the compass pointer. As for the third point, the magnetic field, it is related to the overall design of the compass. A good compass must be well-rounded, not cut by a machine, but rather polished over time to smooth out any rough edges and form a Tai Chi magnetic field."
Ji Quan's explanation made Cold Rou suddenly understand. It turned out that the material of this compass was indeed good. She immediately shifted her gaze to the vendor.
"Miss, I'm not exactly trying to deceive you. Although what Mr. Ji said is correct, your compass is missing a corner, which renders it useless. A compass without any practical value, even if made of valuable materials, may still have some collectible value. But as for yours, I was only willing to buy it because the craftsmanship was good," the vendor explained.
"Mr. Qian is right. Once a compass is damaged and no longer functional, it indeed loses its value," Ji Quan nodded, acknowledging the vendor's words.
Mo Yongxing, who had remained silent, occasionally flashed a gleam in his eyes. It was unclear what he was thinking. He finally spoke up when Cold Rou agreed to sell the compass to the vendor for three hundred yuan:
"Miss, I'll offer one thousand yuan for this compass. I wonder if you'd be willing to sell it to me."
Mo Yongxing's sudden offer drew everyone's gaze towards him, especially Li Bing, who initially wore a puzzled expression. However, he seemed to understand something and muttered, "Young Master Mo has some clever methods, pretending to buy the compass to get closer to the person and then finding a way to obtain their contact information. Why didn't I think of that?"
"You want to buy this compass?" Upon hearing Mo Yongxing's price, Cold Rou felt a moment of joy, but her expression soon darkened. She thought that Mo Yongxing had approached her with ulterior motives.
Cold Rou had encountered many playboys before. When she worked as a saleswoman, they often pretended to buy things to get close to her. She never had a pleasant expression for such people and often made them leave empty-handed.
"Young man, who are you?" Mr. Qian narrowed his eyes. To be honest, he had planned to sell the compass for five hundred yuan after buying it for three hundred. This young man suddenly offering one thousand yuan made him unsure of his intentions.
"I'm just a customer who came here to buy things. I think this compass is good and wanted to buy it to play around with," Mo Yongxing put on an extravagant show of wealth, matching it with his debonair demeanor. With this combination, the onlookers thought that he wasn't pursuing the compass, but rather its owner.
"I'm not selling it anymore," Cold Rou's lips curled up, revealing a cold smile. She had her ways of dealing with these playboys.
"Five thousand!" Without hesitation, Mo Yongxing continued speaking, his lips carrying a mischievous smile as he stared at Cold Rou, as if flaunting, "I have a lot of money."